


Replay

by ColorfulWarlock



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec loves Magnus too much, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bittersweet, Episode: s03e22 All Good Things..., Everyone loves Magnus and tries hard to protect him, Gay Disaster Alec Lightwood, Light Angst, M/M, Magicless Magnus, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Memory Loss, Open Ending, Post-Episode: s03e10 Erchomai, Self-Sacrifice, mundane Magnus, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:35:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23239309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorfulWarlock/pseuds/ColorfulWarlock
Summary: Magnus Bane may have forgotten the Shadow World, but the Shadow World never forgot him.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 13
Kudos: 179
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories, Shadowhunters Fic-A-Thon 2020





	Replay

**Author's Note:**

> I know there are a lot of fics about Clary after she loses her memories of the Shadow World, so I tried another approach. Instead of Clace, what would have happened if it was Malec? 
> 
> This was beta-ed by the amazing [Toby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobytheWise/pseuds/TobytheWise) <3

Everything has a price. Magnus paid it fully when he made a deal with Asmodeus to have enough power to save Jace. To protect half of Alec’s soul, Magnus gave up his own. He lost his magic, his immortality, his memories, his Sight. Once the Owl was dealt with, his connection with the Shadow World would slowly fade, and he would be just one more mundane.

It was the biggest sacrifice Magnus has ever made for someone, but Alec was a lover worthy of a broken heart. Magnus was never good at treating himself accordingly, and all things considered, he would make the same choice again and again for the sake of someone else’s happiness.

He didn’t have time to grieve Alec’s awful almost dance with death. An arrow carved in his boyfriend’s chest was the last thing he saw before everything disappeared and nothing made sense anymore.

That night, Magnus lost his memories. Alec lost his heart.

**_One year later_ **

The thing about bonds and friendship and love is that they never go away as long as you keep fighting. When you love and care for someone, you protect them even from the shadows.

Magnus doesn’t believe in angels, even though his best friend Raphael is studying to become a priest and talks about them sometimes, but more than often he feels as if he is surrounded by them.

After a very strange incident in which he found himself alone and without many recollections of his life until then, he indulged himself to strive the best he can. He opened his own boutique with a side room to brew homemade herbal teas. He had a simple but good life, especially with those strange silent angels around him.

Magnus Bane may have forgotten the Shadow World, but the Shadow World never forgot him.

Unbeknown to him, Raphael took Catarina to his new loft so she could put her best wards to protect him.

Isabelle goes to his boutique once a week to buy a new outfit or jewels and engage into a discussion about the latest fashion trend.

Madzie once asked him for some tea to treat stomach bugs after eating too much ice cream.

Twice a month, Clary “coincidentally” bumps into him at a random street and offers one of her drawings. _I’m an art student, so when I draw too much, I like to give them to passersby._ Though, Magnus is sure he never saw her giving them to anyone else.

Simon sings at a local bar he knows Magnus is a regular, and Jace also pretends to be a regular there, but never approaches Magnus.

And Alec… just watches from afar. His siblings and friends take turns at night to protect him from the shadows, since Magnus became more vulnerable to demons after becoming a mundane. Alec is the most protective of the group, and if it wasn’t for his responsibilities at the Institute, he would gladly protect Magnus every night. He even refused another position at the Clave because the idea of being too far from his ex-boyfriend is too painful.

It isn’t healthy, but the guilt and love for that man are too great to fight against. And honestly? He doesn’t want to. He misses Magnus so much, it cracks his soul a bit more each day. Just being able to see Magnus from afar, to see how happy and carefree he seems without all that responsibilities and pain, it helps to ground Alec and prevent him from going back to the stoic soldier of before.

Sometimes, Alec thinks it’s a blessing that Magnus’ memories were also ripped. If he had to live as a mundane knowing what he had lost, it would drive him mad. Alec would always remember, would always know, and perhaps this is his punishment for letting Magnus help him save Jace.

Alec had his parabatai, but lost the love of his life.

The Universe wasn’t kind to him, and he can’t help but muse that he really was never meant to have what he had always wished.

He embraced love, and life said no.

Now, as pathetic as it feels, he is sitting at some cheap bar drinking something awfully bitter. He misses even those fruity cocktails Magnus made.

“Hello, pretty boy,” a silky voice calls and Alec almost drops his glass. His Adam’s apple bobs and he feels some of his face’s color disappear. Because there, right beside him, stands Magnus Bane in his full glittery form.

Dammit, Magnus isn’t supposed to meet him.

“H-Hi,” Alec forces out, his eyes flickering and his long fingers trembling against the cool surface of his glass.

“Are you okay?” Magnus seems amused, arching one perfect eyebrow.

“Y-Yeah. Fine. Perfectly fine. I mean, well…” He stutters again, cursing his own existence. “Alec. My name is Alec. Lightwood. Alec Lightwood.” He blurts out, and almost punch himself.

_Smooth, Lightwood._

However, Magnus doesn’t seem fazed. All things considered, he seems pretty smitten, swinging his shoulders exactly like the first time they met.

“Magnus Bane,” he winks, using his natural flirtatious tone. “May I buy you a drink?”

This time Alec only nods, not trusting his voice.

When the bartender gives them glasses of gin martini (and Alec tries hard to not think of how achily _familiar_ this is), Magnus smiles coyly.

“To us.”

Yes, Alec definitely is trying to not cry here.

Observant as he always has been, Magnus cocks his head to one side, a curious glint in his chocolate eyes (not gold, never more gold).

“Do I know you from somewhere? You seem so… familiar. And I swear this is not a pickup line!”

“No, I don’t think so,” Alec’s voice is so weak, he isn’t sure Magnus heard him.

Magnus just shrugs, smiling. “Well, maybe you’re right. I don’t think I’d forget someone so gorgeous as you. Especially with this delicious neck tattoo.”

Alec chokes with his martini, becoming an ugly mess of cough and saliva.

“W-What? You… You can see my ru—I mean, my tattoo?”

Magnus huffs. “Pretty difficult to not see, darling. That Z occupies almost half of your neck.”

No, this isn’t possible. Alec is sure he glamoured his runes before leaving the Institute. Magnus doesn’t have the Sight anymore. He isn’t supposed to see them.

Unless…

“I gotta go,” Alec gets up suddenly, almost tripping in his rush to leave the bar.

Magnus just stays there, a bit confused, but smiling nonetheless.

“Playing hard to get? I love a challenge.”


End file.
